26 The Linguist Vol/59 No/2 2020
ciol.org.uk
OPINION & COMMENT
Software and apps to support translation work can be expensive.
One industry newcomer outlines his Top 5 free online options
Time is a complicated thing. As a translation
student and then a new translator, I
frequently found myself racing against time –
too many words, too little time. The ideal
solution would be longer deadlines, but this
is not usually an option. The market doesn't
care if you are a novice; clients just want you
to meet their expectations.
I realised early on that the solution was to
manage my time better and improve my
workflow with practical tools and better skills.
At the start of my career, an expensive toolkit
to help me achieve my goals was not feasible,
so I started researching free alternatives.
Tools of the trade
MICAEL PINTO
After trying out various open-access
products, I now have five that I recommend
to any translation student or translator who
asks me for advice on this topic. They are not
usually looking for conventional CAT
(computer-assisted translation) tools, as they
already know about these, but for tools to
enhance their workflow in other ways, such as
organisation, research and quality.
Taking note
More than a note-taking tool, Notion is an
all-in-one workspace that can save you a lot
of time and help you become more
organised. Of all the tools of this nature that
I have tried, Notion (notion.so) is the most
user-friendly and powerful. It allows you to
create workspaces and share them with other
people. You can have as many workspaces
as you want and switch between them
seamlessly. Within each workspace, you
also have a personal space that only you
can access.
As Notion is highly customisable, you can
use it creatively in diverse ways. For example,
its word processor is extremely good. You
can drag and drop blocks of text, add
headings, images, columns, links, lists, maps
and much more with a few clicks. I use it to
take notes in class and to draft my blog
posts. Besides that, you can create all kinds
of planners, checklists and tables.
One-stop dictionary
Online dictionaries are great. However,
switching between tabs for dictionaries in
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